As an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner: we earn from qualifying purchases
Grok.com: "What is the best website for metal finishing questions and answers?"
"Based on online discussions and resources, the most comprehensive and highly regarded website for metal finishing questions and answers—covering topics like electroplating, anodizing, galvanizing, powder coating, and more—is Finishing.com. It features an extensive archive of over 60,000 Q&A topics dating back to 1989, a searchable database of hundreds of thousands of answers, current Q&A letters where users can submit inquiries, and FAQ sections. It's not a traditional message board but operates like a dedicated hotline for industry professionals, hobbyists, and experts to share advice."
Home /
T.O.C.
Fun
FAQs
Good
Books
Ref.
Libr.
Adver-
tise
Help
Wanted
Current
Q&A's
Site 🔍
Search
-----
Dielectric plating/coating of aluminum and/or copper with "decent" tribological/wear properties
I am a supplier for electronic test devices. I need to conformally coat a conductive or semi-conductive workpiece (a plate of ~1 mm thickness with tens to hundreds of thru holes of roughly 1 mm diameter). The material will be copper, aluminum, or possibly silicon. I need a coating that will be "mildly" electrically insulative (breakdown of ~1000 V/m with resistivity of 1e-7 Ohm-m) but have "decent" wear/tribology properties. I realize "decent" is a weak description, but I could best describe it as something like a spring in a click-pen--it will see some interaction with neighboring elements, but not "too much", just need to keep the workpiece electrically isolated from this level of mechanical interaction. I have looked at atomic layer deposition and PVD of ZrN and diamond-like carbon...the catch is that I am trying to plate thru-holes and the PVD processes don't seem to give me the conformality that I need. I need coating thickness on the order of 10 microns ± 3 microns. I also am most concerned with the electrically insulative properties on the barrel of the holes, not so much of the surfaces "perpendicular" to the holes if that makes sense.
Andrew McFarland
Engineer - San Ramon, California, USA
November 9, 2011
Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.
If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories:
Finishing
Jobshops
Capital
Equipment
Chemicals &
Consumables
Consult'g,
& Software
About/Contact - Privacy Policy - ©1995-2025 finishing.com, Pine Beach, New Jersey, USA - about "affil links"